A-League: Socceroos star Tim Cahill rolls ankle in Melbourne City v Sydney FC clash
TIM Cahill is in massive doubt for Australia’s do-or-die World Cup qualifiers against Honduras after rolling his right ankle in Melbourne City’s clash with Sydney FC on Friday night.
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UPDATE: TIM Cahill is in massive doubt for Australia’s do-or-die World Cup qualifiers against Honduras after rolling his right ankle in Melbourne City’s clash with Sydney FC on Friday night.
City lost 1-0, but the only talking point post-match was Cahill, with the 37-year-old due to fly to Central America via the United States on Sunday morning.
Cahill suffered the injury in the 16th minute and went to hospital for scans in the second half.
City coach Warren Joyce said he was not sure of the severity of the injury, while Sydney counterpart Graham Arnold said he has his “fingers crossed” that Australia’s all-time leading goal-scorer is OK.
“I didn’t see it, I just heard him scream when he went down just in front of the bench,” Arnold said.
“When he walked off I went over to him to shake his hand and see if he was all right and he just said he’d rolled it.
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“I was actually surprised he started. I thought, he’s going to be away for the next few weeks (so he wouldn’t play), but I don’t make those decisions.
“The first thing I thought of was the national team.
“Timmy’s our star. You can’t give enough credit to someone who’s done so much for the country.
“What he did against Syria, 120 minutes, he was phenomenal.”
The first leg of the playoffs is in San Pedro Sula next Saturday morning Australian time, with the return leg in Sydney on November 15.
And if Cahill does still travel, he will do so in a great deal of pain after his coming together with Jordy Buijs.
Cahill lost possession inside his defensive half and the pair tangled in a chase for the ball.
Bujis went down, Cahill tripped over the Dutchman and significantly rolled the outside of his ankle in the process.
The attacking midfielder tried to run the injury off, but slumped to the turf five minutes later, head in hands.
He went to the far sideline, took his boot off and was replaced by Marcin Budzinski in the 24th minute.
It was Cahill’s first start of the A-League season, but Joyce said Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou had not contacted him asking for his star marksman to get more minutes heading into the qualifiers.
“The national team coach has got no bearing on that,” Joyce said.
“Timmy’s desperate to play, he’s been training hard, it’s a big game, we’re trying to win a big game, that’s it.”